Fall of a Hero
by Reality Obscured
Summary: Star Wolf's new ships, the Wolfen IIIs, are better in every way. Can Star Fox beat them, and at what price? This story was already under the name Kattz Maricle, a former name of mine. It's just been transferred here.
1. Chapter 1

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter I-------------

* * *

--on a viewing screen--

In front of a ship in a Venomian docking bay, Star Wolf stood, talking among themselves as they visually examined the ship. The ship appeared to be of the exact same style as a Wolfen II jet. In areas where the engineers and builders of the ship were still working, sparks from the welding flew, extinguishing before they even hit the ground below.

"This thing's supposed to be better than the Wolfen IIs?" Wolf asked, doubt in his voice. Sure, the ships looked the part, Wolf thought. They might be the same style as a Wolfen II, but he had seen the design plans. By the way the blue prints looked, these ships didn't seem as powerful as even the original Wolfens.

"Looks can be deceiving, Wolf." Leon, who stood right beside Wolf, said.

"Yeah!" Pigma had to get in what comments and squeals he could. "Once these babies are finished, Star Fox won't stand a chance"

"That's what you said about the Wolfen IIs," growled Wolf. "and you were the first to be shot down!"

"Fox and Peppy both went after me!" The pig protested. Star Wolf's conversation was drowned out as a conversation right next to the hidden camera became really loud. Andrew, who hadn't been standing with the group, walked up and said something, all of which was inaudible to the camera.

By the time the camera was able to pick up Star Wolf's conversation again, a soldier who was walking by noticed the camera.

Wolf was finishing up a sentence. "...so the first trial run will be in three days"

"Hey, sir! Sir!" A Venomian soldier yelled to grab Wolf's attention. He pointed at the camera.

Wolf walked over to investigate. As he picked the camera up, he growled low, muttering something about fixing those spying Cornerians.

The viewing screen turned off and the screen went blank.

------------- ------------- -------------

"That was the last transmission received by us before the camera was discovered, as you just saw." General Pepper informed the Star Fox team, all four of which sat around a long rectangle table in the briefing room of a base on Corneria. "Though the camera was not destroyed"

Slippy asked, "What happened to it"

"Someone moved it to, ahem," Pepper cleared his throat as if he was embarrassed to say what he was about to. "Pigma Dengar's locker room." Everyone shuddered at the thought.

"What about these new Wolfen jets?" Fox asked.

"Our informants tell us," Pepper said. "they're faster, though not more agile than an Arwing. The Wolfen IIIs are also equipped with hyper lasers"

"We should still be able to beat them no problem, right?' asked Falco.

"It's doubtful." Pepper frowned as he said this.

"That's just great." Falco slumped in his chair.

"What can you tell us about this trial run Wolf talked about?" Fox looked at the General.

"It's some sort of test run for the Wolfen IIIs."

"A test run!" Slippy went wide-eyed. "I wonder where they'll strike"

"That's unknown, but all the bases are on full alert." Pepper paced across the room and stood at the head of the table. "Star Fox should be at full alert as well."

"You can count on us, sir." Fox said as he stood up. He looked at the other three members of Star Fox, who each nodded in turn.

"Be careful, Star Fox." General Pepper said as the team stood up and walked out of the room.

A few short minutes later, Pepper could see four Arwings and the Great Fox lifting off and heading toward space. Those four were the best hope that Corneria had against Star Wolf and Andross, Pepper knew. If they couldn't do it, he knew the Cornerian army would have too much on their own paws, flippers, and fins to handle.


	2. Chapter 2

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter II-------------

* * *

"Keep an eye open, guys." Fox spoke over the Arwing's communication system. "We can't let anything get by"

It was the day that the supposed trial run of the Wolfen IIIs was to take place. Star Fox had been patrolling the space around Corneria since 6:00 that morning. It was now nearly 12:00 PM.

"I wonder what the Wolfen IIIs will look like?" asked Slippy.

"They'll look like scrap metal when I'm done with 'em!" Falco piped in.

"Just keep your eyes open, Falco." Peppy's voice broke through the transmission. "We have to find them first"

"Yeah, yeah..." grumbled the avian.

"We need to cover more area." Fox interrupted. "I'll keep patrolling here. Falco, head for Fortuna. Slippy and Peppy'll go to Katina. If either of you find anything, signal the others with an emergency signal"

After a series of affirmative replies, the team split out of formation and headed in three different directions...

------------- ------------- -------------

Approaching a Cornerian base on Katina, four Wolfen IIIs flew in perfect formation, each of them looking like machines not to be reckoned with. They looked exactly like the Wolfen IIs of the past, painted in the same way.

"We got her in record time!" Andrew whooped.

"This'll be easy!" Pigma laughed.

"I just hope Star Fox shows up." Wolf said, a smirk crossing his muzzle. "I want to test this jet on Fox"

"You may get your chance...if we cause enough damage." Leon commented as the base came into view.

The emergency air raid alarm sounded all throughout the base, a red flashing light illuminating every hall and room. Every pilot able got into their jets and took off. Soon the air space around the base was buzzing with Corneria Fighters. Bill Grey, still squadron leader of Katina's Frontline Base, turned his fighter jet so that he was facing and flying toward the oncoming Wolfen IIIs. Star Wolf was coming in fast, sending in a few stray shots of laser fire as well.

"That's the Wolfen IIIs?" Bill asked himself. He hadn't known what to expect. He guessed he did now. He piped up the communicator and spoke to the entire squadron. "They're coming in fast! Stand by to attack."

The Wolfen IIIs barrel rolled as they came into the fray, deflecting any laser fire. Each member of Star Wolf began marking the Cornerian pilots and commenced firing. As soon as the battle started, it was evident who had the advantage. Even with as large a number of Cornerians as there were, it looked as if Bill's squadron didn't stand a chance. In about two minutes, nearly twenty Husky/Bulldog units had been shot down or destroyed.

"Whoa! I need some help here!" A husky shouted over the communicator.

"I'm on my way!" Bill shouted back as he brought his jet around and up behind the Wolfen III that was hot on the husky's tail.

As simple as it would be to swat a fly, Wolf pulled the Wolfen III into a somersault and was behind Bill, his target in his sights. In only a matter of seconds, Bill found himself spiraling out of control toward the ground. He braced himself for impact. The ejection system had been damaged earlier in the battle. Bill was thrown into the controls in front of him as the ship crashed nose first, plowing up ground. As soon as the jet had stopped sliding, Bill found the strength to pup the jet's canopy and pull himself out, his right arm and forehead bleeding from his new wounds.

-------------

"Hey, Peppy, look!" Slippy exclaimed as he pointed his Arwing toward the battle.

Peppy could see what Slippy was shouting about. Dead ahead they could see a huge aerial dogfight going on between what appeared to be Star Wolf and the Husky/Bulldog units. Downed and damaged fighters lay on the ground, their pilots either dead or wounded. There were a few lucky ones, Peppy noticed, that had been able to eject in time. Those luck ones were on the ground trying to help the injured, but weren't making too much progress, Peppy guessed.

"I see it, Slip'! Let's go help!" Peppy answered back. Before going into battle, though, he remembered to send out an emergency beacon to Falco and Fox. He only hoped that they'd get it in time. Hopefully.  
-------------

"Looks like you got your wish, Wolf." commented Leon as two Arwings flew into view.

"But there's only two of them!" Pigma squealed. "It's Peppy and that frog..."

"Where are the other two?" Andrew asked.

"Does it matter? Shoot them down!" Wolf ordered.

It wasn't long before Pigma had come around behind Peppy's Arwing. Andrew had done the same with Slippy. Peppy avoided the oncoming laser fire by barrel rolling, then attempted to do a somersault to get the pig off his tail. Nothing worked. Pigma stayed right behind him!

"You can't beat me!" Pigma laughed into Peppy's radio. "My ship is better than yours"

"We'll see about that!" Peppy pulled on the brakes, causing Pigma shoot straight past him. Meanwhile, Slippy wasn't having as much luck. Andrew had already gotten in some good hits. Slippy's Arwing was faltering bad in flight. It wasn't long, he knew, before he'd either crash or lose a wing.

"Stick to the pond, froggy!" Andrew taunted.

"Will you ever come up with some new lines?" Slippy fought to shake off his opponent to no advail. "Ahhh!"

Peppy could do nothing but watch as Slippy's Arwing was shot down. Peppy thought he saw Slippy eject just before the Arwing crashed. He could only hope the little guy would be alright. Peppy had far greater problems at the time.  
It wasn't long before Peppy, too, found himself ejecting from his Arwing.  
The two Star Fox pilots could only watch as Star Wolf thinned out what remained of the Husky/Bulldog units. Some of the Cornerian jets escaped as fast as they could from the battle, while others fought to the death. Some still waited uneasily on the ground, watching as their comrades met their fates.


	3. Chapter 3

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter III-------------

* * *

"What?" Fox exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. He wasn't sure if he should believe what he had just heard, or if he had even heard it in the first place. "The entire Husky/Bulldog unit? Peppy and Slippy?"

Falco had been able to receive Peppy's emergency beacon but had arrived on Katina far too late to do anything. Star Wolf had already gone, leaving the Katina base a wreck. Fox was too far away to receive the communications beacon. He hadn't found until now about the battle that had taken place.

"What survived of the Husky/Bulldog unit is still at the base, or in a hospital." General Pepper shook his head sadly. "Peppy and Slippy were..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Fox. They were captured by Star Wolf."

Fox froze, his jaw closed with grim realization. Peppy and Slippy both had the very real possibility of ending up just like his father, James McCloud, had. For Peppy or Slippy to end up that way was something the fox didn't even want to think about.

There was only one thing that Fox could think to do.

"Where were they--" Fox started to ask.

"Don't think of saving them, Fox." The general warned. "We don't even know where they've been taken."

"But we can't--"

"We can't do anything until we find out more!" Pepper sat down and sighed. "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to lose the rest of Star Fox."

The communications screen went black as it shut off, leaving Fox alone to sit in silence. Sure, Slippy could be annoying, but it wasn't the same without his annoying voice. And Peppy had been like a father to Fox after Fox's own father had died.

Fox thought that Falco must feel the same way. When the avian arrived on the Great Fox, he hadn't' said a word. He hadn't even made eye contact. Falco had just walked past Fox and headed for the locker room to take a shower. Right away Fox could tell that something was wrong, but wasn't sure if he should ask about it.

------------- ------------- -------------

Falco let himself be drenched by the hot water of the shower. He had been in the shower for nearly twenty minutes, longer than he usually was. He hated getting his feathers wet, but this time he couldn't bring himself to shut off the water. He guessed he was hoping it'd end up drowning him sooner or later. He couldn't help but think that if he had gotten to Katina sooner he could have been able to help somehow.

He knew just as well as Fox did what could happen to Peppy and Slippy. He didn't want to think about it, either.

Star Wolf had only left about five minutes before he arrived. He had almost been there in time.

When he had dried off and dressed, he found Fox sitting alone in the main lounge area of the Great fox. Fox was bent over with his elbows on his knees, looking down at the floor in silence.

"Bill was sent to the CCH." said Falco. The CCH was the Cornerian Central Hospital. One thing Falco didn't want to see was Fox moping around the Great Fox all day. Though seeing Bill in the hospital wasn't much of good news, it would hopefully get Fox to quit thinking about Slippy and Peppy for a while.

Fox looked up at Falco, then in an instant was gone.

------------- ------------- -------------

It had only taken Fox about ten minutes to figure out which hospital room Bill Grey was in. The hospital had gotten crowded because of the many injured survivors of the Katina base attack. Nearly thirty had been admitted.

When Fox found Bill, the canine was busily flipping through various TV channels in his hospital room. His right leg was in a cast, as was his right arm. His right forepaw was even bandaged. The dog's nose had been scraped so that the tip was pink in color. His tail was in a sling.

"Bill?" Fox said as he walked into the room.

Bill's face instantly brightened when he saw his friend. "Fox! I thought something had happened to you when I didn't see you out there today!"

"I had no idea Star Wolf would attack Katina." Fox confessed. "I wish I could've been there."

"Don't think about it, Fox." Bill shrugged. "I wouldn't have joined the Cornerian Air Force if I was afraid to get hurt a little."

Fox raised one eyebrow. "A little?"

"You kidding? This doesn't even hurt!" As if to show Fox that he was telling the truth, Bill rapped on his leg cast. Instantly Bill froze in mid-rap. "Ow..."

Fox shook his head. Despite the way he felt, he had to chuckle.

"At least you got TV." Fox said. "When I'm hurt, I'm bandaged up and put right back in that Arwing."

"You enjoy every second of it, too, I bet." Bill laughed as Fox smiled, unable to deny was he had just said. Bill picked back up the remote from where he had dropped it when Fox had come in. "You think I got it easy? No way, man! Just look at these channels."

Bill flipped through the channels like an expert channel surfer. Various channels, such as the Cornerian Shopping Network and a few music channels, passed by. The music wasn't even Bill's favorite genre.

"I heard about Peppy and Slippy." Fox said bluntly. "How did it all happen?"

"The battle?" Bill turned off the TV and looked at him.

"All of it."

"I don't remember much. I was unconscious most of the time."

"Tell me what you can."

Bill explained what he could and what he thought had happened. Fox listened attentively to every word that was said, taking note of the important things mentally. Suddenly there was a loud commotion coming from the hall as a table carrying someone sped by. Fox thought he had caught a glimpse of whoever it was on the table, but the doctors and nurses pushing the table were in the way. Fox could hardly see a thing. But he could hear

"We have to get him treated now!" A doctor, a gray squirrel, ordered roughly. "He'll bleed to death!"

Another doctor, this one a brown feathered avian, called out. "We need the bandages for an amphibian!"

"On their way, doctor!" A nurse answered.

"Amphibian?" Fox echoed, then looked at Bill.

"Go check it out!" urged Bill.


	4. Chapter 4

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter IV-------------

* * *

When Fox had finally caught up with the doctors and nurses, they had already transferred the patient to another bed and had begun treating the bleeding. Fox worked his way around the room until he could get a better look.

Slippy.

Fox held himself back, knowing that the doctors were Slippy's best hope. Slippy's usually cheerful face was sunk into a frown. A long, deep cut that would surely form a scar was along his left cheek. In the shape that the clothes were in and the multiple abrasions and cuts along his arms, Fox could tell that the crash hadn't done this. Slippy had been tortured, or beaten. Fox guessed the first rather than the latter, though didn't hope for either.

Slowly, Fox backed out of the room, leaving the doctors to their work.

------------- ------------- -------------

It was nearly three hours later when Slippy finally regained consciousness. Though the frog had been given morphine, slight pain was evident on his face. His arms and legs were bandaged from the various abrasions and cuts. The deep cut along his left cheek was stitched up and his eyes had dullness to them.

Fox walked into the room, unsure if Slippy noticed him. Slippy was staring at the ceiling, unblinking and unmoving.

"Glad to have you back, Slippy." Fox said as he walked into the room. "Slippy?"

Slippy looked at him for a few seconds, a hint of a smile coming across his face. He didn't say anything though. It probably hurt to talk. It didn't take Fox long to see that this was Leon Powalski's work.

"How'd you get away?" Fox asked.

"I didn't." Slippy replied. "They just dropped me off."

"How's... Peppy?"

"Ok. He wasn't even touched."

For a minute, Slippy was quiet and had started to stare at the ceiling again. Though Fox was relieved that Peppy hadn't been harmed, yet, he knew there was something else behind it. Something else Slippy hadn't said.

Then Slippy said. "Andross had a message for you. He said that he wants a final battle between you and Star Wolf. Peppy will be released, but only if you agree."

Now it was Fox's turn to be quiet. He wasn't sure what to say. Star Wolf had the Wolfen IIIs, which, from the reports from Katina, were far more superior to Star Fox's Arwing. He wanted Peppy back, but accepting the challenge would mean that he would be placing his, Falco's, and Slippy's lives in danger. Slippy was in no condition to pilot anything right then, so the frog would be counted out.

"Fox, he gave you two weeks to reply." Slippy added. "Peppy wouldn't even be touched until then, though afterward he couldn't give any promises."

------------- ------------- -------------

"Well?" Fox looked at his teammates, minus one. It was two days later. Slippy, who had gotten out of the hospital the day before, was sitting on the couch of the Great Fox's lounge room, but probably wasn't feeling any better. Falco was leaning up against the wall.

"Well what?" Falco looked at their leader. "I say there's nothing to think about. Andross has to give us Peppy back so we can fight as a team, right? As soon as we get Peppy back, we run for it."

"I've already thought that plan through. Andross'll be expecting that." Fox said. "I've been talking to General Pepper. We're to meet with him at 0800 tomorrow morning."

"I hope he's got something good up his sleeve." The avian pilot muttered.

"Fox," Slippy said. "Even if we don't have a plan, are we gonna do it?"

Fox shook his head. "I don't know, Slip'."

Fox turned and walked out of the room. Slippy and Falco watched him go. After a few seconds of silence, Falco was the first to speak.

"He wasn't cut out to make these type of decisions."

"Whaddya mean?" Slippy asked.

Falco looked at Slippy. "What do you think I mean? The guy's gonna go crazy before he'll let us fight those Wolfen IIIs."

"We have to save Peppy, though!"

"Look at it this way." Falco sighed. Trying to explain things to Slippy was almost hopeless. "The Arwing can't beat the Wolfen III. If we lose, all of us die, not just Peppy."

"Oh..."

"Now you get it."


	5. Chapter 5

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter V-------------

* * *

Fox, Falco, and Slippy walked into the entrance of a huge hangar bay. When they had arrived at the base where they usually met General Pepper, a man that had met them there told them that the general would be meeting them somewhere else this time. After being redirected, the remaining three members of Star Fox found themselves looking at the wide-open space of a completely empty hangar bay.

General Pepper walked up behind them and cleared his throat to get their attention. They turned around and looked at him questioningly. Pepper turned around and pointed toward the sky. They looked that way. Four little black dots were visible on the horizon.

"What are they?" Fox asked, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he tried to see.

Falco watched them for a second. He could see farther than everyone else and soon could tell exactly what those dots looked like. "They're Arwings!"

"Correction." Pepper corrected him. "They are part of the Arwing II class."

"Huh?" Fox asked, curiosity and surprise in his voice. "Arwing II?"

The four jets flew over them, splitting out of formation. They went out a little ways before turning around and slowing, putting on their brakes as they landed nearby. The Arwing IIs landed easily. They were of the same style as the Arwing, even already painted in the Star Fox design; though they were obviously sleeker in style. The cockpit opened and four Cornerian pilots jumped out and walked away without saying a word, leaving Star Fox to admire the Arwing IIs. And Admire them they did.

Falco was the first to walk up to one and touch the jet.

"They're faster, more powerful, and more agile than the Arwing. Everything you need to beat the Wolfen IIIs." said the general.

"This is amazing!" Fox said as he looked up at it. He turned to the general. "Does this mean you want us to go up against Star Wolf?"

"Until now the Arwing II has yet to be tested. Now is the perfect time to make it the newest addition to the Star Fox team." General Pepper said. "Fox, I want to see Peppy safely back as much as you do, but I don't want you going off and getting killed in the process."

"Fox! You should see this thing!" Slippy called from where he was sitting in the cockpit of an Arwing II.

It had only been two days since the incident and Slippy had already turned back into his old self. Save for the scars, someone couldn't tell that Slippy had been in the clutches of Andross in the past 72 hours.

Fox smiled. The decision that had been plaguing him ever since he had heard the message that Slippy had given him. "Thank you, general. With these Arwing IIs, I'm sure we'll win."

Slippy looked down at them from where he was. Falco turned and looked at Fox and Pepper as well. They both had expectant looks on their faces, almost like children who wanted to play with their new toys.

"Go on. Try them out." urged the general. "That's why I brought you here."

Fox smiled and nodded to them.

Maybe a full second was all that it took for Falco to get inside his Arwing II. Fox and Pepper backed up to give Falco and Slippy room to take off. Slippy and Falco's Arwing IIs lifted off smoothly with barely even a single blast of their boost to get them moving. Before long, both Arwing IIs were in the air, with Falco trying the limits of his and Slippy just trying to get used to the controls.

General Pepper looked at Fox, who was looking at the two remaining Arwing IIs that were still on the ground in front of them. One just looked lonely, while the other looked so empty.

------------- ------------- -------------

That night:

"Andross," Fox said over the communications. "Star Fox accepts your challenge!"


	6. Chapter 6

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter VI-------------

* * *

The challenge was set and called. The battle would take place in an open area on Titania. The way things were set up, though, things were definitely unfair for Star Fox. Andross did expect that if he did hand over Peppy Star Fox might make a run for it and forget the fight. Andross wasn't going to take that chance. Peppy would be held and guarded by Venomian forces until the out come of the battle. Just in case, the Great Fox was on standby. Either way, the Star Fox team was reduced to three for the battle.

Just so that Andross didn't try to pull any of his tricks, a Venomian battle cruiser that would be in the space just outside of Titania would be watched by ROB64 and the Great Fox at all times. Andross wouldn't just outright kill Peppy. If he did, he'd lose his advantage over Star Fox and he knew it.

In the skies of Titania, Star Fox flew in formation as they waited for Star Wolf to make their appearance. They didn't know how their enemy would come or even what to expect. Slippy knew what to expect, but wasn't very good at detailing the exacts. So Fox and Falco was left in the dark until Star Wolf did show up.

Falco had just about used up all his patience. "Why don't they just come already?"

"Just keep your eye open, Falco." Fox said. He knew how his friend felt. The Arwing II was great and made him feel like he had a chance, but he was sure that he'd jump over six feet high if even a pin dropped.

Of course, he had good reason to be nervous.

"Well well, Star Fox. Good to see you didn't chicken out." Wolf O'Donnel's voice broke through over the radio.

"Keep on your toes, guys! Star Wolf is here!" Fox shouted to his teammates as he looked around for where Star Wolf was entering the battle from.

"Yes, we're here, and now you're gone." Leon flew right across Falco's path, jarring the Arwing II.

Falco kept his jet steady. "Whoa!"

"Peppy is in good hands!" laughed Pigma. "I'm just sorry I can't shoot him down now!"

"I'm going to finish you off, froggy!" Andrew smirked to himself as he brought his Wolfen III around behind Slippy's Arwing II.

Just the way that the Wolfen IIs were suddenly around behind them made Fox realize one thing.

"These guys are fast! Watch it!" Fox said as he tried to shake Wolf from his tail.

"No you don't, Fox." Wolf grinned, not budging from his position.

"I think I know that, Fox!" Falco replied to Fox's message. "I think it's time to show these guys who they're dealing with."

"I think you're right, Falco." Fox smirked evilly. "Hey, Wolf?"

Fox did a perfect barrel roll and suddenly sped off to the side faster than Wolf could follow him.

"What the heck?!" Wolf pulled the Wolfen II around to follow.

"Are those new ships?" Leon asked.

"You decide for yourself, pal." Falco said as he did the same maneuver as Fox. He got around behind Leon, and before the chameleon knew what had hit him, Falco had gotten in a few good hyper laser blasts on the Wolfen II's wing.

"This can't be happening! This isn't supposed to be this way!" Leon protested as he barrel rolled to keep the other laser fire from penetrating his shields.

"I was hoping for a challenge." Wolf laughed.

"You got one, Wolf." Fox fired his own lasers, but Wolf deflected them with a simple barrel roll.

In another part of the area not far away, Andrew was looking around for his quarry.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Andrew looked around, wondering where Slippy had gone off to. These new Arwing IIs didn't show up on radar, so he couldn't rely on that.

"I'm right here, Oikonny!" Slippy was right behind Andrew and Andrew hadn't known it.

Andrew's Wolfen II rocked as Slippy barraged it with wave after wave of laser fire. Andrew didn't even have the chance to barrel roll before his ship had had enough. He was the first to go down. It was known that Andrew wasn't the best pilot, but how Slippy, who wasn't a very good pilot, either, had shot him down that quickly was somewhat unnerving for anyone witnessing it. Andrew screamed as he went down. Whether he ejected or not, no one knew.

"Way to go, Slip'!" Falco half yelled half laughed over the radio.

"That's one down. Three more to go." Fox said as he fired on Wolf.

Wolf easily dodged the hyper lasers. "It's not as easy as you think."

"Oh, really?"

Meanwhile, Pigma Dengar had been biding his time. He knew he had to strike at the right moment. He wasn't that great of a pilot, either, but he knew exactly when and where to hit. Or, at least, he thought he did. He saw his moment and jumped right on Slippy's tail, hoping the pilot would be tired after the battle with Andrew.

"I can't wait to tell Peppy that I shot down his little frog friend." said Pigma. But it wasn't Slippy that Pigma had to worry about.

"Oh no you don't!" Falco came up right behind Pigma, having shaken Leon off for a few seconds at least. That was all he needed. He immediately set up a volley of laser fire upon the unsuspecting Pigma's Wolfen III.

Pigma didn't even have time to yell. The Wolfen III was destroyed in mid air. Falco made sure of that. Everyone could tell that was the last they'd ever hear of the pig. No one cared. No one really liked Pigma, anyway.

"Now for Leon!" Falco said almost too happily!

"I'm with you, Falco!" Slippy answered, although he didn't sound anything like the Slippy they had one known. His voice was too...hard...

Both Arwing IIs converged on Leon's Wolfen III. Leon managed to shake them off with a somersault, but wasn't sure how long he'd last after he'd run out of tricks.

"Wolf," Leon asked his leader over private communications. "What are we supposed to do now?"

He received no answer. Wolf continued to trade blows with Fox as Falco and Slippy gained ever more ground on his wingman.

"Annoying bird! I'll finish you off first!" Leon turned and came straight at Falco, as if he was playing a game of chicken. He began firing straight at Falco's cockpit.

Luckily Falco was able to barrel roll and pull up just in time before Leon could do any damage. Slippy came down behind Leon's Wolfen III and began firing. Leon easily deflected the laser fire with his shields. Leon Powalski knew that he couldn't take a two on one battle. Now with Star Fox in new ships. Not without his other team mates to back him up.

"Wolf, the odds are against us." Leon tried to persuade Wolf. "We have to make a run for it."

"Go if you want!" Wolf growled back.

"Wolf!"

"I'm not running away yet." Wolf growled again. "Things aren't that bad yet."

Leon pushed the Wolfen III and boost out of the fray, escaping. He didn't want to leave Wolf behind, but if Wolf wanted to stay and get himself killed, then let him! It didn't matter any to him. After all, it wasn't Wolf that was signing his paycheck. It was Andross.

"Three against one, Wolf. Are you sure you don't want to run?" Fox asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Wolf despised it.

"I'm not running yet, Fox. Just wait and see what I have in store for you!" Wolf laughed as he got in a few good hits on Fox, the first hits either of them had gotten yet on each other.

Fox spiraled out of the way as Falco and Slippy came to his rescue. Wolf deftly dodged each oncoming blow and was soon back on Fox's tail again, firing away. Then it happened. One of Wolf's laser blasts made contact with the Arwing II and hit it in such an exact spot that it knocked the G-Diffuser system out. In other words, Fox could barrel roll all he wanted, but he couldn't use his shields. He had no shields as of then.

"Now I've got you, Fox." Wolf said as he closed in for the kill. Fox did his best to stay out of the wolf's sights.

"Falco, Slippy, where are you guys?!" Fox shouted urgently into his communicator.

"Right here, Fox!" Slippy answered back.

Falco didn't sound as calm as Slippy. "I can't get a lock on him! He's too fast!"

Fox started to do a U-turn, but Wolf acted just a moment faster. He did a somersault and fired a smart bomb straight at Fox's vulnerable ship. The Arwing II took the entirety of the bomb blast. Inside the cockpit, Fox thought that the jet was going to shake itself apart, or him apart, for that matter. He tried the controls, trying to pull the Arwing II away, but the controls in front of him sent out a few sparks, moving sluggishly. That was when Fox realized that he had lost a wing. His right wing had taken the bomb directly.

A smirk crossed Wolf's muzzle. One more blast like that and Fox would be finished. Who cared about the rest of the Star Fox team? Keeping the Star Fox team together with Fox McCloud gone wouldn't be an easy feat. All it took was this one defeat. Wolf locked on and fired another smart bomb at Fox's Arwing II. This was it...


	7. Chapter 7

-------------Fall of a Hero-------------

-------------Written By: Reality Obscured-------------

-------------Chapter VII-------------

* * *

"Fox!!!!" Slippy's high-pitched voice could be heard ringing through the communicator.

Fox braced himself, waiting for the impact, closing his eyes against what he knew would come. His ship rocked from what felt like an aftershock, but otherwise he felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, he realized that nothing had happened. To him, anyway. Wolf had locked on. Did he miss? If he did, then what made him miss?

"Slippy!!!" Falco's voice rang over the communicator then. Fox then knew something serious had happened. Falco didn't shout like that for anything, especially for Slippy.

Wolf hated it that he had missed. He hadn't wanted to even confront any of the other members of Star Fox other than Fox. He held an old grudge against Fox since the academy that he wanted to settle. Fox had always been better than he, always just one step ahead. Always making better scores, better jobs; better ships...better friends...

Wolf's communicator blipped on. One of Andross's top commanders was heard. "Wolf, withdraw immediately! Andross's orders."

"What!?" Wolf spat.

"I'm only relaying orders. Withdraw and report to Alpha Base 1 on Macbeth." The ape finished up before the communicator blipped off.

Wolf hated it. He hated it all. Andross obviously wasn't paying attention to the battle. Just one more bomb would have finished Fox off. Still, he couldn't go against Andross's orders. Last time he tried that... He was out of bombs, anyway, he mentally grumbled.

"See you later, Star Fox." Wolf said as he flew out of the battle area, using his boost to shoot him upward toward the atmosphere. He disappeared in a matter of seconds.

------------- ------------- -------------

Fox and Falco landed their Arwing IIs as quickly as possible. Fox was the first out of his jet. At full speed he ran across the tundra toward the downed Arwing II not far away. The outside of the Arwing II didn't look all that damaged. Except for a few laser marks and a few scrapes from the crash, the outside looked just fine. It was the inside that was the worry. The canopy of the cockpit was blasted open and charred. In fact, the canopy had been blown in half. The cockpit itself was barely even recognizable as the cockpit.

And in the middle of it all was Slippy...

"Why did he get in the way?" Fox said, his teeth clenched. He was shaking with anger, his teeth clenched. "He should have just let the bomb hit me..."

"Fox," Falco tried to console his friend, though he didn't really know how. "Slippy did what he thought was right."

"Shut up, Falco!" Fox snapped at the avian. He didn't really mean to, but his words ended up coming out that way.

Falco took one last look at the wreckage of Slippy's Arwing II, then turned and started walking away. Sure, he felt the same way as Fox, but Fox was already breaking down as it was over the ordeal. He couldn't start.

"Where are you goin'?" asked Fox.

"We still have Peppy to worry about." Falco said. "Or don't you remember?"

Fox looked at Slippy's Arwing II for maybe a second or two longer, then turned and joined his friend in running toward their own Arwing IIs. Falco was right. They did still have Peppy to worry about.

------------- ------------- -------------

As Fox had expected, the battle cruiser carrying Peppy tried to make a break for it. The Great Fox's dual laser cannons punched a hole right through the thick outer hull of the ship, disabling it. In exchange for their lives, the crew anxiously handed over Peppy. Star Fox let the crew on the ship live, of course, but they also left them on the battle cruiser stranded in the middle of Titania space.

"Slippy..." Peppy had just heard the news of what had happened on the planet. "Who knew the little guy had it in him?"

Fox wasn't anywhere to be seen in the lounge area of the Great Fox. Fox had gone to the docking bay to work on his new jet, the Arwing II. He couldn't just sit around and do nothing but think about what had happened. He had to have something to take his mind off of things. If working on his Arwing II was what would do the trick, then he'd do it.

"Fox's taking it hard." Falco said to Peppy.

"He takes death hard. I thought he'd end up killing himself when his father died." Peppy said.

Inside the docking bay, Fox had stopped working on the Arwing II just long enough to rest for a while. He sat on the nose tip of the Arwing II. Andross's hands had just gotten themselves even more bloodied with even more reason for Fox to destroy him.

* * *

-------------FIN-------------


End file.
